Sweeney, Latanya
1972- · Contribution: 1990s-present
Data privacy and re-identification research; algorithmic fairness in computing
Portraits are AI-generated interpretations, not photographs.
Impact on the world
Her foundational research on data anonymization and re-identification has shaped modern data privacy law and policy, and she became the first Black woman to earn a PhD in computer science from MIT.
Life & background
A computer scientist, Sweeney's research demonstrated how supposedly anonymized data could be re-identified, fundamentally shaping data privacy law and policy. She became the first African-American woman to earn a PhD in computer science from MIT and later served as the Chief Technology Officer at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
Sources
- Technovation; Harvard Kennedy School
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